Since announcing my pregnancy, I’ve gotten all sorts of ‘advice’ on being the mother of two. But mostly I hear this:
“Oh! It’s so much harder than you think. Why would you want another?” or “It’s really, really, really hard. But then once you have two, you might as well just keep adding. You are already outnumbered.”
Which really makes me think about my sanity. When I look back on H’s first few months of life, I find it hard to believe I made it out (relatively) unscathed. My husband was traveling two out of the first four weekends, teaching a full class load, and applying for jobs. When he was with us we either had out of town guests, or were traveling ourselves. This time, he’ll be finishing up the semester for (most of) the Grape’s first month. Then I will have him home for summer break.
I know that the first month will be challenging to say the least, but I can’t help thinking that maybe it will be easier in the long run. H is so excited about becoming a big brother. We won’t have the stress of S applying for/finding a job. I have friends who are moms here that I know I can count on to come rescue H if I need it.
It seems like I’m spending half of my time freaking out about having an infant, and the other half totally zen about the whole situation. I’m very happy that H is excited, because he is going to be an awesome brother, maybe not all the time, but you know what I mean. Plus, he’s just so funny now that I’m really trying to enjoy the time we have alone together.
Mostly though I am thinking about what to knit for the new baby. Some new soakers/shorties/longies are a must. As are a few sweaters s/he can call their own. Maybe a blanket. I really love the Latvian Garden Baby Blanket, but I’m considering making it for my new niece who is coming in January. Any suggestions?
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To be honest, there is really no point about worrying right now. Its too late 🙂 After Charlie was born and I would complain she would say “Sorry, he’s past his warranty period”
LOL, my mom is a dork but I love her.
Think about how many people DO have more than 1 child and are not completely certifiable. You’ll be fine!
Ha! This is true, we are way past the ‘warranty period’. 🙂 I think everyone who has said something has been mostly sane, just probably eager to commiserate about the challenges of having more than one. 🙂
I hope you know that any “OMG WHY WOULD YOU WANT ANOTHER!?!?!” comments I have made are in jest. I love having 3 and I think our family size is perfect. 🙂 The first one is hard. The second one is hard. I’m sure every successive one after that is hard too, except maybe when you get to 20 because Mrs. Dugger seems to take it in stride. But when you’re doing it, you don’t really think about how hard or easy it is, you just jump in and do it. You’re a great mom, Jenna, and I’m sure you will handle the new baby + toddler thing like you handle everything else… with grace and of course perfectly. LOL
I hope you’re stocking up on pink yarn. Oh! I am ordering the yarn for Chris’s sweater today. Squee!
Elli, yes. You and Becca are exempt. 🙂 I don’t think I’ll be testing out your Duggar theory anytime soon though! I still think the baby will be a boy, but I’m holding out hope that maybe it will be a girl and I can use all of my pink yarn on her. Especially that fuchsia Wollmeise that sits in my stash taunting me.
Oh please. People should be ashamed for trying to scare you. This is in the same category as women who feel the need to tell first time pregnant moms about their labor horror stories. You’ll be fine–tired and sometimes stressed, but fine. When I look back at the time before my younger kids were born I wonder why I wasn’t lonely, if that makes sense. Just be smart and pack your freezer with a million meals.
If you can say that with twins and a toddler, I am sure I’ll be fine. I am not quite as terrified as I was the first time because I’ve done it before. At least I know what to expect now.
Pfft! Lots of things about having two are easier and better.
i second that Pfft! it’s not harder. it wasn’t a huge adjustment for me. all of the things i dreaded about having two kids, or having a baby and a toddler, have not come to pass.
definitely spend the last trimester stashing food in the freezer. i didn’t have to cook for almost 6 weeks after A was born. that was nice. go to some LLL meetings while you’re pregnant and meet the leaders.
it’ll be great! you’ll have WAY less time to knit, but you’ll love it.
Thanks for the Pffts, guys. We are planning on buying a chest freezer for food storage. I can barely fit ‘normal’ stuff in our freezer now. When I was pregnant with H, my MIL and I made a huge amount of food. I didn’t have to cook dinner for at least a month or more. It was great- so I will definitely be doing that again.
I am making the Alpaca Baby Shawl for my new niece due in December. It’s beautiful and easy. Now I just have to get it finished for the shower in two weeks!
Good luck on your pregnancy! I had my second child in February and while some things are harder, others are easier. I love seeing the interaction between my kids and the sibling bond already forming. Having two is different, but just as great as having one. No worries!